Faith Project

Faith to Raise the Dead

noreply@blogger.com (Melody Campbell) — Wed, 14 Mar 2018 16:34:00 +0000

The message you’re about to hear when you watch this video is completely unreasonable.

While “reason” is a powerful and important tool, I must also remind you, as a Christian - that is, a committed follower of Jesus Christ and his teachings in the Judeo-Christian Bible - we are not people primarily lead by reason. No, as Christians, we walk by faith and are led by the Spirit. We are guided by another realm that pierces the darkness and that shows up in this world as that which surpasses reason and is called the miraculous.

Everyone of believer in Christ is equipped for resurrection. We read the following in Romans 8:11:

Yes, God raised Jesus to life! And since God’s Spirit of Resurrection lives in you, he will also raise your dying body to life by the same Spirit that breathes life into you!

God’s Spirit of Resurrection lives in me! What?!

Tyler Johnson shares testimonies of unreasonable and faith-filled exploits of the dead being raised back to life - that is those officially proclaimed dead by reasonable men of science; these dead who get back up on their feet and walk and talk and breath among the living!

Faith begins where the will of God is known. Perhaps, the reason for the seeming lack of evidence of God’s Spirit of Resurrection in the present age is no faith...no knowledge or understanding of the will of God in this regard.

The contemporary Church culture has endured at least a hundred years or more of the teaching of the “cessationists” who proclaim according to Wikipedia - that spiritual gifts such as speaking in tongues, prophecy and healing (or resurrecting the dead) ceased with the apostolic age.

The writer of the book of Hebrews presents the following:

Now is the time for us to progress beyond the basic message of Christ and advance into perfection. The foundation has already been laid for us to build upon: turning away from our dead works to embrace faith in God, teaching about different baptisms, impartation by the laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. So with God’s enablement we will move on to deeper truths. Hebrews 6:1-3 - TPT

It sounds like “turning away from our dead works to embrace faith in God, teaching about different baptisms, impartation by the laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment” are all part of the foundation or the basic message of Christ. In that case, could it be that this contemporary church culture has left the basic message of Christ?

Could it be that this “unreasonable message” of life and the love of God is the exact message the world needs right now?

If we are part of a church culture that practices the elements of the basic message of Christ - that we could actually raise the dead - what would the appropriate response be to the school shootings that are too common in the news?

Let me challenge you to discover what the Bible has to say about this “unreasonable message.” Discover testimonies from the archives of post-apostolic era Christianity that are rich with stories of the dead being raised as you read Tyler Johnson’s book, The Dead are Raised: Unearthing Lost Resurrection Stories. Seek out what Scripture has to teach about resurrection - let Tyler Johnson make a case for this truth found in the pages of the Bible with is book, How to Raise the Dead.

Watch this video and be ready to have your mind blown!

Life School of Supermatural Ministry: The Journey Begins

noreply@blogger.com (Melody Campbell) — Thu, 27 Jul 2017 15:02:00 +0000

This September, 2017, I begin a journey I've been planning for and waiting to start for at least two years. I'll be attending Life School of Supernatural Ministry at Life Church in Salem, Oregon. Currently they offer a program commitment of one 3 hour evening a week.

Here is the description from their website:

Life School of Supernatural Ministry is a discipleship and leadership training center based on the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry (Redding, CA) curriculum. Our goal is to train and equip the Body of Christ to live the real, abundant life that Jesus spoke of in John 10:10. It's not enough to go to church - God has called us to BE the church. Being ONLY ONE NIGHT A WEEK (Tuesdays), it is very feasible for everyone to participate, couples, families, and singles who have work or other responsibilities to attend to throughout the week. The school is designed to provide a dynamic, interactive community setting where students can grow in their character, discover their purpose, and experience the supernatural life that is in Christ Jesus. Using DVD curriculum provided by BSSM, students will have the great opportunity to learn from ministers like Bill Johnson, Kris Vallotton, and Danny Silk. Live teaching from local ministers will also be included in the training. Life School embraces a revival culture and trains its students to live a life of signs, wonders, and miracles in a practical, day to day setting. Ministry opportunities will be presented. If you are hungry for more of God, then this school is for you!

Since LSSM is based on Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry, following is there mission statement:

Our mission is to equip and deploy revivalists who passionately pursue world-wide transformation in their God given spheres of influence. Students are trained to continue in the ministry style of Jesus: to enjoy the presence of God, say what He is saying, and do what He is doing.

Yesterday I interviewed with one of the school pastors to make sure I understood the commitment that I am making to show up, to read the required list of books (it's a short list!) and to engage in the community of students. Yes! I'm all in!

Here's the list of books I'll be reading:

When Heaven Invades Earth, by Bill Johnson - I'll have this read by the time class starts in September. The rest of the books will be read throughout the 10 months of the 1st year, not necessarily in the following order.
Cutlure of Honor by Danny Silk
You May All Prophesy by Steve Thompson
Compelled by Love by Heidi Baker

The plan is to begin the reading of these books and share my thoughts and favorite quotes that impact me as I go. I will also share testimonies of how God shows up in response to my pursuit of him.

My purpose in sharing and writing is to spread the hunger for the supernatural lifestyle and to leave a legacy that invites the next generation to pursue the presence of God to invade the earth.

I hope you'll follow this journey and be inspired to pursue The Presence of God and Live a Supernatural Lifestyle. Join me as a World Changer, as a Revivalist. Walk like Jesus walked.

And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.

Fearful times: If you're a Christian, should you be afraid?

noreply@blogger.com (Melody Campbell) — Sun, 28 Sep 2014 20:16:00 +0000

Psalms 98:2-3, 7, 9 KJV

The Lord hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.

He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. ... for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.

The world is in an uproar as the enemy rolls across countries demanding conversion at the threat of losing ones life.

Just my humble opinion - and...it's easy for me to say because I am not, at this moment, facing the enemy ready to cut my head off - we must focus on the Salvation of our God in the face of this fearful demonstration of hatred towards all things Christian.

I cannot predict what I might do if my faith in Jesus Christ is challenged to the point of death. However, I believe it must be true that one can train for such a day. The human mind can be trained how to respond in such a crisis.

Maybe that's why the psalmist ask us to "Be still and know that I am God." I love Psalm 46. The words of this psalm are the words I write on my heart in training for this or any other fearful challenge that I may face.

Psalm 46 King James Version (KJV)
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.

There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.

God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.

The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.

The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he hath made in the earth.

He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.King James Version (KJV)

Does this mental crisis training - building trust in Almighty God - really work? Let me direct you to a story of three young men that faced the directive, "convert or die." The story is in the Bible, book of Daniel, chapter three.

Then an herald cried aloud, "To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages,

That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up:

And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace..." (convert or die).

Well somebody got really ticked that the Jewish boys didn't bow when they heard the music and told Nebuchadnezzar!

Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, "Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?"

One more chance boys...

"Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?"

And who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.

These boys didn't even have to think about their answer

If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.

But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

King Nebuchadnezzar was shocked to see that not only did these three boys survive the fire, but they walked around it in with a fourth person - the Son of God!

Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.

Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort."

You got that right, O King Nebuchadnezzar - There is no other God that can deliver after this sort!

With the stories of our Christian brothers and sisters that have died for their faith I am sad for the paid they may have endured by "yielding their bodies that they might not serve nor worship any god except their own God" but I applaud and rejoice that each one is now in the presence of THE KING of kings.

Let me submit to you dear reader, it is by faith that any of us can make this stand, whether we live or die at such a challenge. Walking by faith is that training that comes by hearing the Word, and hearing, and hearing and hearing the Word.

The author of the book of Hebrew (chapter 11) tells us that the heroes of the faith both lived and died - by faith.

And what shall I say further? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets,

Who by [the help of] faith subdued kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promised blessings, closed the mouths of lions,

Extinguished the power of raging fire, escaped the devourings of the sword, out of frailty and weakness won strength and became stalwart, even mighty and resistless in battle, routing alien hosts.

[Some] women received again their dead by a resurrection. Others were tortured to death with clubs, refusing to accept release [offered on the terms of denying their faith], so that they might be resurrected to a better life.

Others had to suffer the trial of mocking and scourging and even chains and imprisonment.

They were stoned to death; they were lured with tempting offers [to renounce their faith]; they were sawn asunder; they were slaughtered by the sword; [while they were alive] they had to go about wrapped in the skins of sheep and goats, utterly destitute, oppressed, cruelly treated—

[Men] of whom the world was not worthy—roaming over the desolate places and the mountains, and [living] in caves and caverns and holes of the earth.

And all of these, though they won divine approval by [means of] their faith, did not receive the fulfillment of what was promised...

There are those that say this evil is coming to a neighborhood near us. This is what I will train for - this is what I will live by...

The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. (Zephaniah 3:17 KJV)

Live or die I will echo the words of those three Hebrew boys in Daniel chapter 3:

If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.

But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

Do not fear. Train to walk in Faith.

Speak Life from my friend, Toby Mac

noreply@blogger.com (Melody Campbell) — Mon, 01 Sep 2014 20:01:00 +0000

Okay, so maybe I don't know him personally but I sure enjoy his music...and I'm his "friend" on his Facebook page!

Toby shared this graphic on Facebook. It was just too good not to share.

Woo-Wee! I have a had lotsa bends in the road the last few years, but I am right on the track because I kept my eyes fixed on Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of my faith.

Love, Love, Love Toby's song, "Speak Life". As a mother, a friend, and a Jesus-lover, these words are a great reminder. Download your song right here...

Speak Life [Music Download]
By TobyMac / FOREFRONT RECORDS

Christian Gift Ideas - Wedding or Anniversary

noreply@blogger.com (Melody Campbell) — Mon, 01 Sep 2014 02:06:00 +0000

I came across this sweet wall art gift. It's a great wedding gift idea and I just had to share! One day I might put one of these on my wall - I'm still looking for the "peanut to my butter...and the best to my friend, love of my life!"

Personalized, You Are The..., Large Plaque, Black
By P Graham Dunn Inc Engravables

Chalkboard style wooden plaque for wedding, anniversary, or just to show your love for someone. 18" x 9.25" plaque for wall display in your home. Stylistic fonts and drawings go along with heartwarming sentiment,

You are the peanut to my butter, icing on my cupcake, water to my ocean, cherry to my sundae, blue in my sky, butter to my jam, ice to my cream, milk to my cookie, flip to my flop, apple to my pie, cheese to my macaroni, glaze to my donut, best to my friend, love of my life.

Personalized with couples names at the bottom. Personalization is included in the price; all personalization is done on the premise at Christianbook.com.

Yes this is a product with an affiliate link. Your purchase helps me make a living for me and my family. Come check it out! Thank you!

Jesus Christ, The Author and Finisher of My Faith

noreply@blogger.com (Melody Campbell) — Sat, 30 Aug 2014 17:11:00 +0000

"Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. " Hebrews 12:2 - Amplified Version

This is the place to start - with Jesus Christ. This challenge to walk by faith, to please God, because without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6) - must begin the Jesus Christ.

This life is filled with distractions that compete for my attention. Since 2003 I have been a single mom, raising three amazing children. I think you might agree that this task of parenting and proving alone without a husband is a best a challenge. Don't get me wrong, I'm not whining so that you'll feel sorry for me. These last eleven years have taught me that God is faithful. I write this with a smile on my face and joy in my heart. God has been so good to me and my children.

The distractions. They seem to be legit. Providing for my children has seemed to be an all consuming task. I'm in sales and, in my opinion, I'm good at it as long as I believe in the product. But after the divorce something changed in side. The pain and grief of the marriage and love that came to an end was brick wall distraction. It would have been easy to put my eyes on my pain or the seemingly insurmountable task of providing for my children.

The distractions. My children had their own emotions to deal with after their family fell apart. How could we do this to them? Whose side should they be on? There had to be someone right and someone wrong. They were angry at me and their dad. They were angry at the rest of the world for not understanding the pain that they were in. They acted out. Each one in a different way.

Distractions and reasons to lose faith, right? This is just my story. It's not unlike many other women and children. There are other stories. What's yours?

Here is what I can tell you about looking away from these distractions - not ignoring them in denial, but not allowing them to consume me - and instead, looking to Jesus as the source of my faith. I can tell you that we - my children and I - have successfully come through this hard time with the most amazing outcome.

During my darkest hours I reminded myself of all the times that Jesus had rescued me. I reminded myself that my oldest son, who almost died at birth because of a hole in his lung, was miraculously healed and came home from the hospital 8 days after he was born. This month my son who almost died will be 21 years old. I reminded myself of the many times that Jesus provided financial miracles to pay the rent, the utilities, buy food and clothes.

I made a conscious choice to take my eyes off of the distractions and put my the eyes of my inner person on the facts of how big and mighty the God that I serve - this God who promised "I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]" (Hebrews 13:5).

My life is not without distractions even now, but I see a beautiful outcome. My children are young adults. They are strong and kind because of all that they came through. They've learned compassion for others that are struggling. They've learned that God never left us. Whenever they face a challenge they come to me and ask me to agree with them in prayer. (Matthew 18:19–20)

This week I am starting a new Bible Study by Marilyn Hickey called, "Seeing Jesus: Bible Encounter Study Guide". This study takes the student through all the books of the Bible to find references, symbols, and prophesies of Jesus Christ, our redeemer - The Author and Finisher of My Faith.

What distractions are competing for your attention? What will you choose to do to cause you to "fix your attention" on Jesus Christ?

Walk by faith my dear friend. You will not be disappointed!

30 Meditations on Jesus - eBook
By Marilyn Hickey / Whitaker House

God...With Us...Priceless

noreply@blogger.com (Melody Campbell) — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 08:15:00 +0000

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Emmanuel” (which means “God with us”) (Matthew 1:23 NIV)

This was the first miracle of Jesus Christ. He came from heaven and entered the earthly realm as one of us by virgin birth. He began by doing the "impossible" so that we could become like him.

The human race, sometimes smart, but many times downright evil. Maybe not you but there have been plenty of atrocities committed by mankind that it's no wonder that God himself wanted to wash the earth and start all over again as in the days of Noah.

When the time was right, just as was planned in advance, God, packaged in human flesh came to dwell with us. Not only did God choose to live with us, he became "The Way", the access to live with Him.

I don't think we can fully appreciate this unless we attempt to understand the contrast of how evil humanity is and how good God is.

Any good in man is our attempt to pattern ourselves after God's standards of right. Most people across all cultures have some standard of "good." From birth we know or are taught it's important to honor and obey our parents, tell the truth, not to kill, not to covet or steal...this standard can be found in the Ten Commandments. These standards were not merely written in stone for Moses and the Hebrew people - they are coded into our DNA and can be found in some form in every culture.

God's standard for right which is coded into our DNA should make us "good" right? (Romans 3:10 NIV) Unfortunately there is another nature also coded into our DNA - like a computer virus - For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing (Romans 7:19 NIV)!

Look with me at the evil that humanity has written on the tablets of history. Contemporary names that might be familiar are Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Ayatollah Khomeini, Saddam Hussein...just to name a few. In fact I found a list of the Top 10 Most Evil Men, whose author starts his list by saying,

"The most unfortunate aspect to researching this list was the realization that that I could do a top 100 most evil men and still have a multitude of people for a second list!"

This evil is not an anomaly. One has only to look inside a prison to find the worst offenders of humanity.

Why in the world would a good God want to have anything to do with humanity?

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16 NIV).

This was the first miracle of Jesus Christ. He came from heaven and entered the earthly realm as one of us by virgin birth. He began by doing the "impossible" so that we could become like him. God so loved us that he dwelt among us.

God...with us...precious.

Yearning & Seeking

noreply@blogger.com (Melody Campbell) — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 07:29:00 +0000

"Many of us (me!) can feel the vacuum of this vortex drawing our hearts into this destiny. We (me!) find our inner man longing, stirring, and burning for the great adventure. Live or die, we must press through the walls of (religious) mediocrity and find the Promised Land of our souls." Kris Vallotton, Developing a Supernatural Lifestyle.

Developing A Supernatural Lifestyle: A Practical Guide to a Life of Signs, Wonders, and Miracles
By Kris Vollotton / Destiny Image

Arm yourself with the supernatural gifts of God! Learn how to grow the gifts of the Spirit in your life and start experiencing victory over your circumstances. Vallotton establishes a firm foundation on how to approach spiritual gifts and then gives advice on discerning prophetic words, visions and dreams. Equip yourself for the Kingdom work ahead. 248 pages, softcover from Destiny Image.

Prayer x Intimacy with God = Revival

noreply@blogger.com (Melody Campbell) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 15:18:00 +0000

Photo credit: Gainesville First United Methodist Church

Now when they saw the boldness and unfettered eloquence of Peter and John and perceived that they were unlearned and untrained in the schools [common men with no educational advantages], they marveled; and they recognized that they had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13, Amplified

Boldness and unfettered eloquence. It was obvious to the audience that Peter and John were just common men. They did not bear any of the outward signs associated with success or position in society, and yet they spoke with boldness and unfettered eloquence. This unusual characteristic was a reflection of their relationship with the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

I was raised in churches were people in the pew were powerless. Powerless to withstand personal temptation, Powerless to change the world around them. Powerless to give witness to our Great Savior. These churches were targets of public scorn and the leadership called it suffering for Christ.

I can't point a finger at these people, for after all, they did introduce me to the basic principles of our faith, enough to make me hungry for what I see in God's Word. As I grow older and dig into the Word of God with questions on why the church of this age...why do I lack the demonstration of the mighty power of the Almighty God? In all that I am reading and studying is that the church of this age is guilty...I am guilty of a small, self-centered prayer life and ignorance of the God we serve, the God I serve.

Revival - A restoration to use, acceptance, activity, or vigor after a period of obscurity or quiescence.

It's time for revival in our churches. It's time for revival in modern day Christianity.

I'm not calling for tent meetings, or week long events with special speakers and guest singers.

I am calling for daily prayer that leads to intimacy with our Heavenly Father. I am calling for a knowledge of God that comes through the study and application of God's Word - acting by faith on the truth of scripture.

It starts with one.

When our family, our neighbors, our communities perceive that we have been with Jesus, the church, one by one, will become world changers.

The Word of God in Pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Melody Campbell) — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 01:21:00 +0000

The Word of God is

Bread
Sword
Light, lamp
Seed
Honey, honeycomb
Fire
Hammer
Mirror
Silver and Gold
Judge
Water

God's Word - The Bible - is Alive and Active

noreply@blogger.com (Melody Campbell) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 18:25:00 +0000

Newton's Cradle

I've been giving lots of thought to my last post on Monday is for Memorizing The Word - The Living and Active Word. I wanted to more fully comprehend the concept that the Word that God speaks is "alive and full of power".

I would like you to think with me about what this phrase from scripture (Hebrews 4:12) means, because as my pastor says, we as Western Christians are "lazy". We read the words of scripture and say, "oh those are nice words, oooo, ahhhh" and then we go on our merry way without very much of an impact. The Holy Spirit has been prompting me to meditate the scripture as a whole, to dig to understand the meaning of the individuals words and context. The applied energy of study brings in the transforming power of God's Word.

This world that we live in - that is the earth on which we inhabit - exists and operates based on laws. These laws were created and established for the efficient operation of our existence by God. By examining the laws that God, himself, created and established we are able to get a fuller understanding of God and His activity on this planet.

To better understand the concept that the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power (Hebrews 4:12) I decided to look at science. As I mentioned in my last post one of the first thoughts that come to mind is that there is movement. Something, or someone that is alive has movement. One definition of life that I found is the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth (movement & multiplying energy), reproduction, functional activity (movement), and continual change (movement) preceding death. The movement of something that is alive is intrinsic - that is the energy of motion is the very essence of life.

If we look at Newton's Laws of Motion it might help us understand the life changing energy contained in these words "the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power."

Newton's First Law of Motion states that an object will remain at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless acted upon by an external force.Objects will remain in their state of motion unless a force acts to change the motion. The influences which cause changes in the motion of objects are forces. A force may be defined as any influence which tends to change the motion of an object. The state of motion of an object is defined by its velocity - the speed with a direction.

So using Newton's Law of Motion let me rewrite the phrase "the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power" - the Word that God speaks is a force in a state of motion which can be defined by it's velocity - it's speed with a direction. The force of the Word that God speaks contains the potential energy to change the energy - the speed and direction - of our life.

We as humans are also alive. We are at our core of existence are filled with the same life, or "aliveness" - the energy of motion that is the very essence of life that comes from God our creator. Scriptures says that we are created in the image of God. Another way of saying that would be to say that we are created in the "essence" of God. We are not only in the form or construct of God, but we embody an extract of his divine nature in our earthly bodies. This is called our spirit.

Our spirit is alive and the life of our spirit is of the same essence as the Word of God - that which comes out of the Living Eternal God.

There's more, so much more. Hopefully this makes sense. Meditate on this, God's Word - The Bible - is alive and active. The Holy Scripture is a force of energy that is in a state of motion - velocity - speed with direction. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the power of this simple concept.

More on this in my next post.

Monday is for Memorizing The Word - The Living and Active Word

noreply@blogger.com (Melody Campbell) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 18:13:00 +0000

Statement of Faith from The Faith Project - The Word of God is Alive and Active in Me.

The Bible is very clear that scripture, which is God's Word, written and recorded by anointed men, and preserved through time and history, is the very essence of power.

Hebrews 4:12-13 - For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the [a]breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart. And not a creature exists that is concealed from His sight, but all things are open and exposed, naked and defenseless to the eyes of Him with Whom we have to do.

In this verse we are told that God's Word is

alive
full of power

active
operative
energizing
effective

I have to stop and think on this a while. Meditate on what it means when something is alive and full of power. One of the first thoughts that come to mind is that there is movement. Something, or someone that is alive has movement.

When I think of something full of power I think of an electrical cord plugged in to the power source. The cord may look lifeless and unimpressive laying there on the floor but when it's attached to a power tool on one end and plugged into the power source on the other end - the energy flowing through the bundle of wires and plastic cord create movement that creates an impact.

Think about a blender or a drill - when the limp and lifeless power cord is plugged into the energy sources the blender comes to life and pulverizes ingredients from peanuts, to peanut butter. Or the drill takes on movement when connected to the power source and is used to create to push back barriers of wood, metal, and concrete to make holes of various sizes.

The Word of God is alive and full of power. We are the limp and lifeless power cord. Created to carry the current of God's energy that comes through the study and application of God's Word.

Memorizing God's Word creates a "power pack" effect. The power of God's Word can be drawn from memory as we speak God's Word into every situation of our lives.

God has been speaking to me as I seek to understand what it takes to live an attractive, powerful life as a follower of Christ. This is the very foundation of walking by faith, because faith comes by hearing the Word of God. There is no other way to have the power filled life in Christ that I seek except to spend time studying and memorizing God's powerful Word. Very simple. Very profound.

I hope that as you read this that somehow it creates a hunger to experience more of God's life changing power in your own walk with him. Read, study and be trained by the powerful Word of God.

For additional resources on studying the Power of God's Word:

Precept Austin - Inductive Bible Study tools for unlocking the divine power of Scripture.
The Power of God's Word - Robert Preus - This article speaks to "What is the Word of God" an important discovery if we are to thrive as followers of Christ. "...that nebulous and distant word of which modern theology speaks, that word which cannot be found or objectified or even repeated, cannot be kept and treasured in our hearts; we cannot even get hold of it to cling to it."

Monday is for Memorizing The Word - Formula for Spiritual Success

noreply@blogger.com (Melody Campbell) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:55:00 +0000

"God's instructions to Joshua preparatory to entering the promised land to fight the good fight of faith in order to possess his promised possessions remains a proven "formula for spiritual success" for saints today who like Joshua have been set apart that we might become experiential possessors of our positional possession of every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus."

As the Lord Jesus Christ calls me to digging deeper into the Holy Scripture and hide more of God's Word in my heart it has become increasingly alive and obvious to me that for any effort I have previously put into knowing God and his ways - I have barely scratched the surface of it's rich treasures. The more I dig into the Word of God the more I understand that I have ignorantly underestimated it's worth and it's power for my life. All the answers I seek are in God's Word, The Bible. Not only does it contain the answers to my every need (I Timothy 4:8, 2 Peter 1:3) but it contains the power to will (desire) and to do (Philippians 2:13) the instructions to fulfill the promise - and in keeping of them there is great reward (Psalms 19:11).

My memory selection that I am working on is Psalms 119. I chose this chapter because of it's focus on the value of God's Living Word.

1 Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the Lord!
2 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,
who seek him with their whole heart,
3 who also do no wrong,
but walk in his ways!
4 You have commanded your precepts
to be kept diligently.
5 Oh that my ways may be steadfast
in keeping your statutes!
6 Then I shall not be put to shame,
having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
7 I will praise you with an upright heart,
when I learn your righteous rules.
8 I will keep your statutes;
do not utterly forsake me!

I'm starting with the first section which is the first eight verses. It is my desire to not only work at committing these words to my memory but to also meditate the words, the meaning and implication of the words.

The word that stands out is "blessed". Who are the blessed? Those whose way is blameless, who walk in the way of the Lord. The blessing is what I seek so therefore I must be blameless. As New Testament Believer I am the Righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. But this cannot be achieved without the transformation of both hearing and doing God's Word (James 1:22-25).

God's Word is relevant for whatever you are facing, whatever I am facing. The answers to living a blessed life are in God's Word. There is so much more to the Christian Walk - power for every day living - when one studies and abides in God's Holy Word.

Wednesdays are for Worship

noreply@blogger.com (Melody Campbell) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:46:00 +0000

As I mentioned in Monday's post, I am starting a few new things that will help me accomplish a couple of things:

improve my blogging consistency - I am aiming at posting something every day. It may not be long or in depth. I need to put to words this message that God has laid on my heart.
exercise myself in the activities that God is revealing ~~as seeds for the fruitfulness I am in search of~~ to develop my own growth in godliness and fruitfulness.
recording my activity to be accountable.

In addition to scripture memory and meditation (on Mondays) I am adding "Wednesdays are for Worship".

Worship is an important daily discipline towards the goal of growing in godliness. I do not use the word "discipline" to signify a chore that must be done to please God, but rather an element of consistent activity that will bring the desired result. I Peter 1:5-9 names godliness among other qualities that will keep us (me) from being unfruitful. Worship is a daily activity that will develop the quality of godliness and keep me from being unfruitful.

As I approach the thought of worship I feel the need to discover what worship really is and examine what I actually know about worship. Traditionally I have the picture in my mind that worship is singing songs that declare my love and allegiance to God and extol His virtues. But something tells me there's more to worship than that activity alone.

What I intend on doing for Worship Wednesdays is examine what scriptures say about worship. In the beginning I will probably rely on Christian thought leaders that I respect who I know have the reputation to be students of the Word "rightly dividing the word of truth."

Today I am looking at John Piper's sermon on "The Pleasure of God in His Name." There is written text with scripture references as well as an audio of his sermon on this subject.

I chose this subject from John Piper's sermons on the Glory of God and on Worship because of the focus that the Faith Project has on knowing, believing and living life according to God's Name - in all it's various forms.

Pastor Piper makes this statement,

"...there is another pleasure of God implied in this verse, namely, that God has pleasure in his name. When he chooses a people, it says, he chooses them for himself, so that when he acts to spare them, he acts for his great name's sake. Therefore beneath and behind God's delight in choosing a people there is a deeper delight, namely, the pleasure God has in his own name. Now what does that mean—that God has pleasure in his name? It might not mean anything different than what we saw three weeks ago, namely, that God has pleasure in his own perfections, in his own glory. The name of God in Scripture often means virtually the same thing as God's glorious, excellent character. But it often means something slightly different, namely, the glory of God gone public. In other words, the name of God often refers to his reputation, his fame, his renown. This is the way we use the word "name" when we say someone is making a name for himself. Or we sometimes say, that's a "name" brand. We mean a brand with a reputation."

It is our focus on the Name of God - recognizing his glorious, excellent character, his reputation to all of the heavenly and earthly realm - that puts us in a position to receive all of God's promises. As Pastor Piper points out in scripture God comes to our our rescue "for His Name Sake" - for His reputation - not ours. His name, his reputation is faultless, he is faithful to do all that he says he will do - he is true to his own nature and character defined by his names. So even when we fail him, he never fails us - because of His Name.

This is a thought worth meditating on. Watch how this thought will build your faith. If you acknowledge that God is who He says He is and can do what He says He can do it should cause a faith-filled response to rise within you. It is this faith that releases all the power behind the promises for you and me, written in his Word - his unfailing Word - backed by His Name.

Allowing your thoughts to remain fixed on His nature and His Name is an act of worship. You will find that when you do this you will not be able to be in fear and worry. There is tremendous power in His Name.

Additional resources on the topic of Worship:

John Piper - Worship is an End in Itself - The content, the substance, the life, the goal, the end is God and the joyful experience of ascribing glory to him.
Sammy Tippit - A Call to Worship (The Need to Worship) "Thus, true worship does not originate with man. It originates with God. Worship is the result of the grace of God being applied to the heart of man; it flows from a heart that has been graced by God. The theme song for the true worshiper becomes, "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found." I did not search so far and so wide that I found Him. I did not become so good that I could worship Him. He found me and graced me. Freely He forgave me, and freely I worship and love Him. It is not my style of worship nor my service for Him that makes me a true worshiper. It is His amazing grace."
Lisa G. Burgess - Lisa Notes Blog - Give one-of-a-kind Worship - "While you might mimic a style or repeat the same words in a song or even think similar thoughts as someone else, you can’t worship exactly like any other."

Mondays are for Memory - Psalms 119:1-8

noreply@blogger.com (Melody Campbell) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 18:50:00 +0000

I am starting a few new things that will help me accomplish a couple of things:

improve my blogging consistency - I am aiming at posting something every day. It may not be long or in depth. I need to put to words this message that God has laid on my heart.
exercise myself in the activities that God is revealing as seeds for the fruitfulness I am in search of.
recording my activity to be accountable.

My first new thing is scripture memory. As I mentioned in a previous post, I have always done scripture memory - mostly on an "as needed" (HA!) basis, but this is a new start of an intentional, progressive move through the scripture, hiding it in my heart so that the words of THE WORD speak to me in all of life, on all of life.

I'm setting aside Monday's on the blog to post my verses and my progress, revelations and results of hiding God's Word in my heart. I hope you will join me. Please accept my invitation to leave a comment on these Monday posts about the verses you're hiding in your heart.

For the week of January 16th, I am memorizing and meditating (yes, I will add that...Monday is for Memorizing and Meditating...I will add another post on what God is teaching me about meditating) the following verses - Psalms 119:1-8:

1 Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the Lord!
2 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,
who seek him with their whole heart,
3 who also do no wrong,
but walk in his ways!
4 You have commanded your precepts
to be kept diligently.
5 Oh that my ways may be steadfast
in keeping your statutes!
6 Then I shall not be put to shame,
having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
7 I will praise you with an upright heart,
when I learn your righteous rules.
8 I will keep your statutes;
do not utterly forsake me!

Resources for Scripture Memorization:

Memverse
Online resource to aid in memorizing verses in the Bible. (This is the tool that I use)

An Approach to Extended Memorization of Scripture by Dr. Andrew Davis

I really like Dr. Davis opening chapter on the value of Scripture memorization, "There are numerous spiritual benefits to the memorization of Scripture. A proper assessment of these benefits begins with understanding the role of the written word of God in our spiritual development." Read more...

She Sparkles - Scripture Memory 2012

Work on scripture memory with a group of women online - A - Z. 26 Scriptures to memorize for 2012. It's more fun to do scripture memory with a supportive group to encourage and celebrate your success.

Accessorize!

I really liked how this talented blogger created a tool to help her with scripture memory. I'm gonna look for one of these. IKEA is one of my favorite stores to shop - I don't need another excuse to go there for another treasure. Oh, and I just had to add her Bible Verse Key Fob to the accessories list - this would be a wonderful idea for a theme verse for the year.

Scripture Memory - Psalms 119

noreply@blogger.com (Melody Campbell) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 23:20:00 +0000

Thank you - Photo Credit

In my pursuit to really know and live what I believe I am stepping up on intentional scripture memory. I've memorized scripture as a child in Sunday school to win a prize. Now as an adult I've tended to memorize the verses I need in "the heat of battle." Memorizing scripture relevant to my life circumstances became very easy to me because every word has been so vital for my daily living. I've been really happy with my progress but I sense the Holy Spirit calling me to more. I feel the need to intentionally choose portions of scripture and commit them to memory, hiding God's Word in my heart in an effort to grow in godliness and experience the power of God's life changing Word.

I discovered a website that I'm trying out - wonder if they have an app for it, I will have to check it out. The website is called Memverse. This tutorial tells how the free online software works.

The verses I am working on is Psalms 119 - yah I know - the longest chapter in the Bible. That's not the reason that I chose this first. I asked the Lord and this is the chapter that came to mind. God has been speaking to me about the power and importance of His Word. Psalms 119 is filled with truth declaration about God's Word.

The Lord has been wooing me to become a more grounded Christian Woman so that I am a channel of His mighty power to a world that is hopelessly lost without him. I am hopelessly lost without Him.

Let me challenge you to watch what God will do in and through you if you hide His Word in your heart.

Go create an account over at Memverse. Let me know what verses you're working on and we can encourage each other.

Training in Godliness

noreply@blogger.com (Melody Campbell) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 18:38:00 +0000

I Timothy 4: 7-8 Amplified - But refuse and avoid irreverent legends (profane and impure and godless fictions, mere grandmothers' tales) and silly myths, and express your disapproval of them. Train yourself toward godliness (piety), [keeping yourself spiritually fit]. For physical training is of some value (useful for a little), but godliness (spiritual training) is useful and of value in everything and in every way, for it holds promise for the present life and also for the life which is to come.

As I sit here at my computer with fingers poised over the key board, a rush of thoughts and images rush through my mind. Where do I begin? I refuse to live another day in powerlessness. I cannot go on stuck in mediocre. It's time to make the commitment to live like I believe the Word of God to be Alive and Active.

A truth that we cannot escape that that we are shaped by our thoughts. Our thoughts are fed by the focus of our attention. We become what we feed our attention. I live in the United States of America where my friends, family, neighbors and I all spend countless hours absorbing information. Advertising, music, movies, news & commentaries on the news, we are exposed to a daily tidal wave of information and opinion all day long. For myself and most of the people I know, seeking to know the will of God is a minuscule fraction of my day. There is something definitely wrong with that picture.

It is time to walk away from a life of distraction and commit to a life of devotion. I expect things to change.

I ask myself this question, can I qualify as "godly" by the amount of time I spend in training and developing in godliness? Is the activity of a student of the Word only for pastors & preachers, or is that the characteristic of a mere follower of Christ?

I Peter 1:2-4

May grace (God's favor) and peace (which is perfect well-being, all necessary good, all spiritual prosperity, and freedom from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts) be multiplied to you in [the full, personal, precise, and correct] knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that [are requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the [full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue).
By means of these He has bestowed on us His precious and exceedingly great promises, so that through them you may escape [by flight] from the moral decay (rottenness and corruption) that is in the world because of covetousness (lust and greed), and become sharers (partakers) of the divine nature.

Reading these verses in the Amplified Version really helps me to see what I might miss. God's favor, perfect well being, freedom from fears, agitating passions and moral conflicts - doesn't that sound like the solution we're all searching for? This state of being is multiplied to me in the full, personal, precise and correct knowledge of God and of Jesus my Lord. And did you catch that we've been offered the opportunity to become sharers or partakers of the divine nature?!! All of this is mine, is yours in the knowledge of God and of Jesus, his son.

He (God) has bestowed (to present as a gift or an honor) His precious and exceedingly great promises - so that we might escape the moral decay - rottenness and corruption that is in this world.

What are the disciplines of the godly?

2 Peter 1:5-9

For this very reason, adding your diligence [to the divine promises], employ every effort in exercising your faith to develop virtue (excellence, resolution, Christian energy), and in [exercising] virtue [develop] knowledge (intelligence),
And in [exercising] knowledge [develop] self-control, and in [exercising] self-control [develop] steadfastness (patience, endurance), and in [exercising] steadfastness [develop] godliness (piety),
And in [exercising] godliness [develop] brotherly affection, and in [exercising] brotherly affection [develop] Christian love.
For as these qualities are yours and increasingly abound in you, they will keep [you] from being idle or unfruitful unto the [full personal] knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).
For whoever lacks these qualities is blind, [spiritually] shortsighted, seeing only what is near to him, and has become oblivious [to the fact] that he was cleansed from his old sins.

In the context godliness begins with the knowledge of God and diligence to the divine promises. We are to employ every effort - most of us exert very little effort with regard to any godly discipline described in this list. I don't see "going to church " anywhere on this list. Don't get me wrong - I do believe we are to come together as believers for worship and the sharing of the Word. For many "believers" going to church is the only effort they put forth towards developing "godliness".

I am called to

exercise my faith to develop virtue.
develop knowledge
develop self control
develop steadfastness
and in steadfastness comes godliness
the fruit of godliness is brotherly affection and Christian love.

These are the qualities that will keep me from being unfruitful. But if I lack these qualities I am blind and shortsighted.

I repent, Lord, I have been blind and shortsighted.

I woke up this morning with this yearning in my heart, "Lord, do not let me be unfruitful!"

John 15:2-5

Any branch in Me that does not bear fruit [that stops bearing] He cuts away (trims off, takes away); and He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit.
You are cleansed and pruned already, because of the word which I have given you [the teachings I have discussed with you].
Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you. [Live in Me, and I will live in you.] Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me.
I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.

Other excellent blog posts on Training in Godliness:

The Profit of Godly Discipline - P.G. Matthew - I liked Matthew's sermon from I Corinthians 9:24-27. "Run in such a way as to get the prize."
"The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards" - a book review - Lisa G. Burgess - Thank you Lisa for sharing this book review. I like the quote Lisa shared from the author of this biography on Edward's spiritual life. "These diverse disciplines—Bible study, theological reading, meditation, prayer, and singing—worked hand in hand, the one supporting the other, in Edwards’ pursuit of holiness. These religious duties helped Edwards maintain a vibrant communion with God. His theology led to doxology. " ~ STEPHEN J. LAWSON
Saw this quote - "Men, time is the chrysalis of eternity - there is no other time but the present. We all go through times in our lives when we have little time for our families - it is part of the natural rhythm of life. But excessive 'busyness' must not be by choice - as it so often is. We must be aware of packing our schedules by saying 'yes' to things which mean saying 'no' to our families. Now is the time to take time..." R. Kent Hughes, The Disciplines of a Godly Man

Too Small God?

noreply@blogger.com (Melody Campbell) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 16:29:00 +0000

I borrowed this illustration - out of context - because it is such a great word picture:

Sin will always appears as a trifle to those whose view of God is small. If you were to discover a little boy pulling the legs off of a grasshopper, you would think it strange and perhaps a little bizarre. If the same little boy were pulling the legs off of a frog, that would be a bit more disturbing. If it were a bird, you would probably scold him and inform his parents. If it were a puppy, that would be too shocking to tolerate. You would intervene. If it were a little baby, it would be so reprehensible and tragic that you would risk you own life to protect the baby. What's the difference in each of these scenarios? The sin is the same (pulling the limbs off). The only difference is the one sinned against (from a grasshopper to a baby). The more noble and valuable the creature, the more heinous and reprehensible the sin. And so it is with God.

If God were a grasshopper, then to sin against Him wouldn't be such a big deal and eternal punishment wouldn't be necessary. But God isn't a grasshopper, He's the most precious, valuable, beautiful being in the universe. His glory and worth are infinite and eternal. Thus to sin against an infinitely glorious being is an infinitely heinous offense that is worthy of an infinitely heinous punishment.

We don't take sin seriously because we don't take God seriously. We have so imbibed of the banality of our God-belittling spirit of the age that our sins hardly trouble us at all. Our sin seems small because we regard God as small. And thus the penalty of hell--eternal conscious suffering under the wrath of God--always seems like an overreaction on God's part. If we knew God better, we wouldn't think like that.

Denny Burke's original post can be viewed here --> http://www.dennyburk.com/rob-bell-outs-himself/ - again I am using his illustration to make a point that has a different focus than Mr. Burke's topic.

Another thing happens when we minimize God and trivialize sin - the enemy has the opportunity to magnify the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches so they appear to be larger than our perception of God. We meditate on our sickness, our lack in finances, feelings of rejection, lonliness and low self esteem. We listen to the lies of the enemy that God is far off and we cultivate feelings that God couldn't possibly love us or is not willing to hear & answer our prayers.

When God is "big" in our thinking, the thought of him not meeting our needs or answering our prayes should be shocking. The trouble is that we expect God to only live up to the failed expectations of those around us who walk in unbelief. We don't pray with confidence for healing because we know of some wonderful saint of God that died in sickness when they prayed for healing. We don't understand what went wrong so we bring down our expectations of God and say that it was not God's will to heal - but when we say this we actually call God a liar. Ouch! Yes, because He reprents Himself as "I am the Lord that heals thee". Some how there is more we need to know about how to appropriate the fullness of who God wants to be known as among men.

We have all been here - when circumstances seem so much bigger than we are and even so much bigger than hope in God to come to our rescue.

When Jesus walked this earth as the Son of God, Scripture notes a couple of times where he was astonished by Faith...great Faith & lack of Faith. He was astounded, first at the lack of belief in his hometown (critical astonishment) and second at the faith of the Capernaum centurion (admiration). And note, Jesus could perfom only a few miracles in his own home town - because of their lack of faith.

No one is immune to bouts of unfaithfulness, and we all must be on guard against thoughts of magnifying our circumstances and minimizing God. Consider the unbelief of men in scripture:

Abraham (Gen. 17:7),
Moses (Num. 11:21; 20:12),
The Disciples of Christ (Mt. 17:19,20; Lk. 24:11),
Zacharias the father of John the Baptist (Lk. 1:20).

Each in their own fit of weakness turned their back on the Lord for a time.

The scripture calls us to “Be still, and know that I am God” in Psalms 46:10. As I meditate this verse and read what other men of God have had to say about this, I sense the Lord calling me to stop all of my efforts that are self directed, to stop all of the thinking that "worries" over the circumstances, the facts of what troubles us in our life -- and instead, replace the worry and anxious thoughts with how big our God, how mighty our God, how good, loving & willing our God is to save us and supernaturally turn the circumstances for our good.

In scripture it is always God's will to heal, guide, prosper and save his own people. When we contimplate all that scripture says that He is, and all that scripture says that he can do... we overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the Word of our Testimony. We do not overcome by meditating the circumstance - we overcome by our spoken testimony of God's Faithfulness & His Word.

Preparation for whatever comes your way today is to take the magnifier off of yourself, & your circumstances and magnify your almighty God. It is always a good time to "Be Still and know that He is God" on a regular basis.

16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:16-19

I pray that you would know God's love that surpasses knowledge -that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. A BIG, BIG God.

2011 - Books I Read This Year

noreply@blogger.com (Melody Campbell) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 23:52:00 +0000

I have over 50 book titles on my Kindle Fire right now but I start a book and then move on to another one before I finish it - gleaning what I need to and then moving on to another provocative title. I've really tried to change my ways and finish ever book that I start but...I just keep reading 50 books at once. My Kindle makes that such an easy habit to cultivate. {sigh} I created the list below first and now I am adding this introduction because actually I was afraid I wouldn't be able to make a very long list because of my habit of reading so many books at once. I'm happy with this short list and it has inspired me to reach new goals in 2012. I'd love to hear about the books that inspired you this year and what you'll be reading next year. On some of the descriptions below I borrowed the words from the publisher because it described the details of the book better than I wanted to take the time to do on my own. However, where I talk about how the the message of book made me feel or how I grew because of the content...that's all me baby.

The Healing Code: 6 Minutes to Heal the Source of Your Health, Success, or Relationship Issue
By Alex Loyd, Phd, ND, Ben Johnson, MD, NO, NMD / Grand Central, Life & Style

This book really changed my thinking about a lot of things related to the health of my soul - mind, will and emotions - and how my thoughts, emotions and imaginations are blocking the health and wholeness of my body and success in life. I would buy this book for everyone I know if I think they might read it.

Rite of Passage Parenting: Four Essential Experiences to Equip Your Kids for Life
By Walker Moore / Thomas Nelson

I was really amazed at this authors claim that our society invented the term "adolescence" to delay the time when our children took on adult responsibilities. There is no clear cut "rite of passage" in our American culture that transfers our children to responsible adults. The author, Walker Moore, gave insight on how this affects our children now and in generations to come. He shares practical ideas on how to bring your own children through a rite of passage that prepares them to move into responsible adulthood as caring and productive individuals in our homes, communities and culture. I read this book because of a college class I was in this last year on child development. I wanted a Christian perspective on the transition from childhood to adulthood. I was very pleased when I found this book. Read it in an afternoon. I have 3 teenagers...very relevant information for my life right now.

The Bondage Breaker, New Edition
By Neil T. Anderson / Harvest House Publishers
I've read through this book once before but went through it again with a wonderful young woman in my churches youth group. The refresher was really good. Sometimes I just loose track of the things that once had me in such bondage and the enemy tries to slip those chains on again. That is why the scripture says in Hebrews 2:1 (Amp), " Since all this is true, we ought to pay much closer attention than ever to the truths that we have heard, lest in any way we drift past [them] and slip away."

Becoming a Man of Unwavering Faith
By John Osteen / FaithWords

A powerful guidebook from a man who spent a lifetime testing the limits of faith! Drawn from Osteen's sermons, this collection offers practical advice for the moments of struggle and temptation every man faces.This book was rich with principles of faith that can be put in practice by anyone that desires to "walk by faith". It's a very easy read but also very powerful as a faith builder.

I love the Osteen family. When I was 14 years old we were traveling the country and my step-dad was preaching in various churches. We stopped at John Osteen's church and stayed on his property with our travel trailer. I even had lunch with Joel, who was home from college. We were having lunch in the churches cafeteria and my friend, Linda, got us a seat with Joel. We talked about the book of Isaiah.

So Long, Insecurity: You've Been a Bad Friend to Us, Hardcover
By Beth Moore / Tyndale House

Beth' s passion to see God free women from their insecurities and fears evolved into an online survey of more than 950 women and 150 men that ultimately resulted in the publication of this book, So Long, Insecurity. Partly autobiographical in nature, Beth Moore uses stories, prayers, and practical ideas to nudge women out of insecurity and into knowledge of their God-given dignity. No matter your age or status, you can learn to battle insecurity with God's truth.

I really loved this book. Beth Moore is so authentic that the message of this book feel like she's been reading my mind. I am still reaping fruit in growth from the reading of this book. In fact, my dearest, bestest friend bought it for me on cd so that I could listen to it.
Bought with Blood: The Divine Exchange at the Cross
By Derek Prince / Chosen

This book was powerful for me. Derek Prince brought greater insight on what Jesus Christ paid to be mine by born again inheritance. Our Christian culture lives like we're orphans when we have access to the greatest inheritance - it's like making the sacrifice of God's son of no effect in our lives. What a waste when it cost him so much. In gratitude I want to experience all that Christ paid for on Calvary.

At the cross Christ endured all the evil due you and in turn made available to you all the good due Him. In this provocative, Scripture-rich book, acclaimed author Prince explores the nine "divine exchanges" of the atonement. In place of punishment, wounding, death, poverty, shame and rejection, Christ freely offers forgiveness, healing, life, abundance, glory and acceptance. In addition, Prince gives biblical grounding for five areas of deliverance that Jesus makes available through the cross: deliverance from this present evil age, from the law, from self, from the flesh and from the world.

Because it is not enough simply to know about the atonement, Prince presents the means by which you can make it true in your personal experience: repentance, faith and a relationship with the Holy Spirit. This new edition of a life-changing book includes a mini-study course at the end of each chapter, perfect for individual or small group study.

I started many other but for whatever reason haven't finished them. I am committed to getting through more books in 2012. My life was enriched and I reclaimed more territory that was once tied up in bondage.

"I will keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on me"
Isaiah 26:3

My other love is listening to some audio version of ministry while I multi-task. I'll create another list of the ministry that I listen to this last year. There are some speakers that I can listen to their messages over and over hundreds of times. I know that sounds crazy but I catch something new every time I listen. Managing my thoughts and re-engineering my life through what I watch, and listen to has become a way of life that suits me well - very well. God has done much to preserve me and heal me through some painful times.

For many of the struggles I am "on the other side" experiencing victory that I never would have thought possible. In fact I can see that my careful management of my thoughts and thought habits were the key to my victory. I am so glad I chose the thoughts that God gave me rather than those natural to the pain that I was in at the time.

Here's a great suggestion for next years reading...

Life, in Spite of Me: Extraordinary Hope After a Fatal Choice
By Kristen Jane Anderson / Multnomah

Kristen Anderson wanted to die---but God had other plans. Recounting her miraculous survival of a suicide attempt in which a train severed her legs, Kristen shares how her newfound faith in God helped her overcome severe depression and shame, as well as the challenges of permanent physical disability. Discover how she found fulfillment serving God!

Bold and unashamed for the gospel of Jesus Christ because we KNOW who we have believed.

noreply@blogger.com (Melody Campbell) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 18:47:00 +0000

SOMEONE LOVES YOU. UNCONDITIONALLY. UNSHAKABLE, UNFAILINGLY.
That Someone is God Himself. But how can that be possible? Why would God love you so? Because He has fashioned an unbreakable covenant between Himself and you. And He always keeps His promises. “Everything God does,” says Kay Arthur, “is based on His covenant.” And when you understand how thoroughly the dynamic concept of covenant permeates everything God says in His Word, and everything He does in our lives, you’ll come to experience one of the most stabilizing, most freeing truths you’ll ever know. Kay Arthur, Our Covenant God: Living in the Security of His Unfailing Love.

Our Covenant God: Living in the Security of His Unfailing Love - eBook
By Kay Arthur / WaterBrook Press

My very first Precept Upon Precept Bible Study was the study of Covenant. I fell in love with God all over again. As a grown woman who has been "saved" for more than 30 years - there were things that I had never even heard of or knew about God's Covenant with me. Through this study His Love captured my heart anew. That was 10 years ago. My heart is still filled with fresh love for my God, my redeemer, the Lover of My Soul.

Today is the last day of 2011. I am strongly impressed that THIS is the year I am called to act on the mandate that God has given to me. Now is the time to step out in Faith and know Him deeper and proclaim His Goodness. This new year is the year that I stop putting off God's call in my life until "someday."

God's Mandate - To know Him and make Him known.
God is calling me, calling us to a deeper, richer, more fulfilling "knowing" of Himself. He has done much to demonstrate His boundless love towards us. God shares the intimacy of His many powerful names as descriptions of His character and identity. Through this insights into himself, He makes Himself available as Healer, Provider, Almighty, and Ever-Present Help in time of need.

In September of 2010, the associate pastor's wife at Conrad Mission Church, introduced the women to a study by Beth Moore called "Believing God". This was another pivotal and life changing Bible Study for me.

Believing God
By Beth Moore / B & H Publishing Group

If God is who he says he is and can indeed do what he says he can do, why are so many Christians living mediocre lives? Beth Moore thinks that there is a simple answer to this question: unbelief. Therefore, in Believing God she challenges us to take God at his word, believe his promises and, as a result, live fuller lives. Don't be afraid to set aside your unbelief and experience the great blessings of God's promises.

In this study, Beth Moore builds the lessons on this 5 part statement of Faith:

God is who He says He is.
God can do what He says He can do.
I am who God says I am.
I can do all things through Christ.
God's Word is alive and Active in me.

Every day since that study I have had the call of God in my heart to really know each of those 5 statements with clarity and practical use in my every day life. It's is time to take this message from my heart to my world - to ignite a fire in the hearts of other believers to know and understand the God we believe in.

Paul states in the II Timothy 1:12, "For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day." Bold and unashamed for the gospel of Jesus Christ because we KNOW who we have believed.

Believing God: Leader Kit DVD
By Lifeway

Based on Isaiah 43:10, Believing God: Experiencing a Fresh Explosion of Faith explores what it means to believe God. Through studying the lives of Abraham, Moses, and others from Hebrews 11 as examples of persons who believed in God, Beth encourages women to deepen their own trust in God and receive a fresh word from Him. Join Beth for 10 life-changing weeks and learn to believe God! This Leader Kit includes ten video sessions on six DVDs, a Leader Guide, and one Member book.

"You is kind. You is smart. You is important." The Help

noreply@blogger.com (Melody Campbell) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 20:15:00 +0000

How precious is this scene from "The Help", where the maid, Aibileen, says to Mae Mobley, the little daughter of her employer, "You is kind. You is smart. You is important."

The #1 New York Times bestseller by Kathryn Stockett comes to vivid life through the powerful performances of a phenomenal ensemble cast. "The Help" is an inspirational, courageous and empowering story about very different, extraordinary women in the 1960's South who build an unlikely friendship around a secret writing project — one that breaks society’s rules and puts them all at risk. Filled with poignancy, humor and hope — and complete with compelling, never-before-seen bonus features — "The Help" is a timeless, universal and triumphant story about the ability to create change.

Ever since I watched the movie this scene has played over and over in my mind. What an amazing seed of truth to be planted in the mind of a young child every morning by this caring woman. As I was thinking on this I felt the Holy Spirit speak into my thoughts.

"My child that is what I would say to you if you would just listen."

Really?! This is what the Holy Spirit would say over ME if I would just listen? "Are you sure Lord, this is what you think about ME? Wouldn't you be telling me of just how I have fallen short of your Glory and how I am a hopeless mess with out you?"

The Holy Spirit gently went through an explanation of each of these statements with me:

You is kind.

In Galations 5:25 the Lord says to His own people, "If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit." Just above that verse, the Lord tells us that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. When the Holy Spirit takes up residence inside us "we is kind."

You is smart.

I Corinthians 2:16 tells me that I have the mind of Christ. Philippians 2:5 tells me to "let this same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus." And then there is I Corinthians 1:30 that tells me that "by His doing, I am in Christ Jesus who was made to be my wisdom." Of course I is smart!

You is important.

Psalms 17:8 reminds me that He guards me as the apple of His eye. I know that my Lord rejoices over me with singing because he tells me in Zephaniah 3:17. In Psalms 91, verse 14, just because I love him (which is only my response to the fact that he first loved me! I John 4:19) he will deliver me and honor me.

The Holy Spirit continued to speak into my heart - "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope in your final outcome." Jeremiah 29:11

"For if anyone only listens to the Word without obeying it and being a doer of it, he is like a man who looks carefully at his [own] natural face in a mirror;

For he thoughtfully observes himself, and then goes off and promptly forgets what he was like.

But he who looks carefully into the faultless law, the [law] of liberty, and is faithful to it and perseveres in looking into it, being not a heedless listener who forgets but an active doer [who obeys], he shall be blessed in his doing (his life of obedience)." James 1:23-25

We, as humans, are all bombarded with messages of our own imperfections, unrealistic standards of "Photoshoped" heroes - we fight a constant battle of negativity and fragile pride - a distorted image of our true selves created in the image of God is lost. Looking into the mirror of the faultless law of liberty is not only to reveal to us the wickedness of our carnal nature, but also to give us a vision of who we are in Christ.

We forget so easily who we are as Children of the Light. We must be reminded daily that -

We is kind. We is smart. We is important.

Selah - Pause and think of this...

noreply@blogger.com (Melody Campbell) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 19:40:00 +0000

‎"Begin to worship God for who He is. Resist the urge to draw Him into your circumstances. Instead, let Him draw you into a place of majesty." ~ Graham Cook

God Ambiguous or God Almighty?

noreply@blogger.com (Melody Campbell) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 18:17:00 +0000

Do you know the God you love, serve and follow?

am·big·u·ous [am-big-yoo-uhs] adjective

open to or having several possible meanings or interpretations; equivocal: an ambiguous answer.
Linguistics . (of an expression) exhibiting constructional homonymity; having two or more structural descriptions, as the sequence Flying planes can be dangerous.
of doubtful or uncertain nature; difficult to comprehend,distinguish, or classify: a rock of ambiguous character.
lacking clearness or definiteness; obscure; indistinct: anambiguous shape; an ambiguous future.

al·might·y [awl-mahy-tee] adjective

having unlimited power; omnipotent, as God.
having very great power, influence, etc.

Identity Crisis?

noreply@blogger.com (Melody Campbell) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:30:00 +0000

God is who He says He is.

Thank you Agape House Fellowship

In my original post here at the Faith Project Blog I described the foundational statements for the Faith Project:

God is who He says He is
God can do what He says He can do
I am who God says I am
I can do all things through Christ
The Word of God is alive & active in me

There is a stirring in me that this is important. I believe the Holy Spirit is saying that the deeper discovery of each of the above statements is critically important.

It seems that the culture of the Christian Church and it's members are suffering from a very serious identity crisis. I say this carefully and not with self-righteous criticism. At this point I include myself in this crisis. Let's define this thing that I am calling an identity crisis.

Identity is whatever makes an entity definable and recognizable, in terms of possessing a set of qualities or characteristics that distinguish it from other entities (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Identity, First published Wed Dec 15, 2004; substantive revision Sun Oct 1, 2006).

Crisis is defined as a crucial or decisive point or situation; a turning point; a stage in a sequence of events at which the trend of all future events, especially for better or for worse, is determined. Further crisis is defined as a condition of instability or danger, as in social, economic,political, or international affairs, leading to a decisive change. In the life of an individual, crisis defines a dramatic emotional or circumstantial upheaval in a person's life. In health, the point in the course of a serious disease at which a decisive change occurs, leading either to recovery or to death (Dictionary.com).

Looking at these two definitions as it relates to the statement, "God is who He says He is" brings me to tears.

The crisis, the turning point that we face which the trend of all future events, for better or worse, will be determined is understanding the definable and recognizable set of qualities and characteristics that distinguishes our God, our Jehovah from all other entities.

Our knowledge and comprehension of the Almighty God, for most of us, so shallow it's not enough to build our own identity on. When we know who He is we understand who we are. You and I are created in the the image of God.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. Genesis 1:27 KJV

The understanding of God by the Christian Culture as a whole is at best ambiguous. If our understanding of God is ambiguous it is no wonder we struggle to define ourselves or we define ourselves inappropriately. Outside of an identity in Christ the identity we represent ourselves to be in this world is a facade and impossible to stand the test of time and eternity.

On understanding the concept of identity, the German philosopher, Georg Hegel is quoted,

"Identity is the identity of identity and non-identity."

When we come to understand the identity of God we also must come to the understanding of who He is not. Grasping this important concept is the crisis point - all future events - individually and collectively are defined by this and this alone.

Okay, let me make this street level. I'll make it personal. Because I don't know, really know and spend time focusing on the attributes of God I believe him to be at best uninvolved and detached from me and my world. My vision and expectation of God are solely based on what I know about him - or don't know about him. Since I am created in the image of God I am, by nature, the "same as" or similar to God my creator. when my understanding of that which I am "the same as or similar to" is vague, I am unclearly defined. But, by nature I am created with an identity that must be realized.

The temptation that Eve gave in to when she ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was to "be like God." Did she not understand that she was made in His image and already "like God"? The one bite that she took was the first step to seeking her identity outside of God. Humanity continues to do this everyday.

Because I don't know really know and understand the identity of God I seek my identity outside of God, facing life in a false sense of identity which is like the foolish man who built his house on sand.

But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash. Matthew 7:26-27

The key to a solid powerful identity is in getting to know and understand God and who He is. God reveals himself to me, and you, in His Name. The Name of the Lord is not just a label. The Name of the Lord is an identifier, revealing the definable and recognizable set of qualities and characteristics that distinguish our God, our Jehovah from all other entities.

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. Matthew 7:24-25

Join me in discovering who God says that He is.

{site sponsor}

Lord, I Want To Know You, Kay Arthur Series
By Random House, Inc

When the car won't start we call a mechanic. Likewise, when the bathroom overflows we call a plumber. Yet, when we are in the midst of a spiritual struggle we often fail to call upon God's provision, comfort and strength. In this insightful study of God's names, Kay will teach you how to call upon the names of God so that you can connect with your: Protector in times of vulnerability, Healer in times of illness, and Provider in times of financial drought. Learn how to call upon specific names of the Lord who can provide for your every need. Seventeen chapters

What to Do When You're in Crisis

noreply@blogger.com (Melody Campbell) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 17:21:00 +0000

Strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us,
Run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us,
Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2)

It's a Friday Morning and my 16 year old daughter has just called me at 5 am for the 5 time this week. She is sobbing into the phone and I cannot understand a word she is saying. Crisis with her Dad. She lives with him now in another state. Her Dad is not a Believer. He has a very different view on life and parenting not at all guided by scripture.

My heart starts to be gripped with fear. How can I help my daughter in a completely different state - many miles away? Her father and I differ drastically in every way. I cannot even petition him on her behalf because he will not listen. Period.

My daughter and I - we talk and reason our way through what her options are to respectfully bring the situation out of crisis mode. I pray with her and send her off to school.

Saturday afternoon, more crisis. My daughter may not have a place to stay. What's a mother to do?

This mother prays.

Saturday evening, I set aside everything. Nothing on my to do list was as important as this. Focus on Jesus was my primary goal. Television off, worship music on.

Thoughts of worry for her emotional and mental well being silenced. I would not allow myself to entertain any thoughts of concern. I choose my thoughts carefully as I begin to reminisce over the many times God has delivered me and answered my prayer. I selectively entertain thoughts of who God is. He is Almighty and is with me (Psalms 46:7). He is mighty to save (Isaiah 63:1). And just because I love Him He will deliver me (Psalms 91:14-16).

As I am still before His Throne, meditating on what a Great God I serve, I know that if I say, "The Lord is my refuge" and I make the Most High my dwelling place - no harm will overtake me. He has given his angels charge concerning me to guard me in all my ways...me and my family (Psalms 91:9)

Sunday morning, no call from my daughter.

Sunday afternoon - text message with video attached. She's out to dinner with her Dad and brother. Everyone is laughing and having a good time. Smiles all around.

When in crisis follow these three steps:

Strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us,

Run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us,
Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2)